Hollywood Hoofbeats Book Review

• Review Of: "Hollywood Hoofbeats, Trails Blazed Across the Silver Screen"

• Book Details:
  Authors: Petrine Day Mitchum with Audrey Pavia
  ISBN: 1-931993-38-6
  203 pages
• The Short Version: This book is a treasure-trove of information about horses that have been in movies and/or television shows.
• Disclosure: Here at CowboyWay.com we purchased "Hollywood Hoofbeats" with our own money. The opinions expressed here are our own.

Below: Book cover of "Hollywood Hoofbeats" by Petrine Day Mitchum with Audrey Pavia

Review

At first glance this book might look like a coffee table book: Pretty on the outside with just enough photos to get your attention. Nothing could be more wrong.

"Hollywood Hoofbeats" is a treasure-trove of information about horses that have graced our movie and television screens. It is a loving encyclopedia dedicated to the gathering and sharing of information about horses from the beginning of the motion picture industry to the present.

It features information not only about well-known equine stars, but also about the lesser-known, but still fascinating and hardworking horses who were extras, trick horses, and stunt doubles.

The book is interesting throughout. For folks who love the horses they have enjoyed watching on their movie and television screens it easily keeps the reader engaged. It can be read from front-to-back, or one particular chapter or section at a time.

"Hollywood Hoofbeats" is filled with history, stories, and trivia, while at the same time generously sharing large and small photos of horses, riders, stuntmen and women, trainers, and the occasional movie poster.

The authors also cover the darker times of the early filming days when horses were brutally treated, and what has been done to correct the inexcusable cruelty of those times.

This book, more than anything, is a tribute to the horses we have all shared a fondness for.

About The Authors

Petrine Day Mitchum (aka Trini Mitchum) is the daughter of legendary film star Robert Mitchum and Dorothy (Spence) Mitchum. She is a filmmaker, writer, director and photojournalist.

Audrey Pavia is an editor and freelance writer specializing in animal subjects. She has written numerous articles that have appeared in such magazines as Western Horseman, Young Rider, and more. She has also written numerous books about horses.

Summary

We love "Hollywood Hoofbeats." You can read it cover-to-cover or jump around from one area to another. It is filled with interesting tidbits all the way through, and is a loving tribute to the performing horses that we've seen on the big and little screens.

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